Itachi didn't know what to think or feel when Kurama walked in with a ginger-haired lady who instantly became every straight man's wet dream that night. The fox-hunter only told him that he wanted to introduce someone and Itachi felt his brain short circuit when the pair made their entrance to a fancy restaurant booked by Tenten.
Kurama smelled the shift in the air and looked at the depressed Itachi. Although his mate masked his hurt well, there was no fooling a fox's nose.
"Hey, don't do that. She's an ally, nothing more. You're the only one I want."
Mei watched in amusement at the public display of affection and cheesy lines spilling out from Kurama's lips as he tried to pacify his mate. Itachi wasn't what she imagined either. The man was androgynous and looked like a woman from afar. He was also very guarded and exuded a somewhat dominant aura in his tailor-made suit.
"So this is how the elite of humans look like..." Mei mused, her lips curling into a smile.
Itachi ignored Kurama who was looking more pathetic by the minute. The fox didn't know what he did wrong but Itachi was positively fuming by now. The CEO met Mei's eyes and returned a stone-cold gaze from his seat.
"I'm flattered you think I'm elite. May I know what a refined lady like yourself is doing here on a busy afternoon interrupting two busy men with business?"
Mei Terumi chuckled and lowered her lashes, looking seductive. "Why," she purred. "I'm just here to give my blessing to the two most eligible bachelors I know. Won't you entertain me a little?"
Itachi frowned. He didn't want to talk to the woman for longer than required but it was also not right to be rude to a guest. Besides, Kurama must have a reason for introducing her. While the Uchiha couldn't tell who was human and who was a demon in disguise, he was almost sure that the woman before him wasn't human. She was too familiar with Kurama.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
Kurama gave up. Mei was having the upper hand and there was nothing he could do to stop Itachi from digging his future grave. The Hunter would just have to pull his mate out from his embarrassment later on and salvage the situation. Still, the fox was slightly happy on the inside that his mate was so possessive over him. The jealousy was adorable so Kurama secretly basked in the moment.
"Why so hostile? I'm here to help. After all, who doesn't love a little bit of Lady Luck? I've heard that things have started to go downhill for you for the past two weeks. Getting trapped in a building with broken fire exits while the fire spread and couldn't be put out by water sounds highly fishy for an electric fire, doesn't it? The arsonist must have spectacular timing or skill to accomplish something that complex. Also, what about the falling flower pots that have become more or less a daily occurence now? Hmm... how about that near car crash just two days ago?"
Itachi paled and felt the strength leave his body. "How... how did you...?"
Mei let the smile fall. "It's not a coincidence," she said and snapped her fingers. The private room they were in became surrounded by a sound barrier. Kurama stood beside Itachi and held his hand, giving him the moral support he needed.
"We have no evidence just yet but we suspect Danzo Shimura to be the suspect behind your attempted murders. Hasn't some of you smaller shareholders been found with unfortunate accidents that they have to sell their shares off?"
Itachi blinked. When that happened, he thought that it was merely unfortunate coincidences one after another but he couldn't understand how or why they were happening. Each time there was an accident, Kurama would be beside him. If it wasn't Kurama, it would be Kiba or Ino or sometimes even Naruto.
"Why are they trying to kill me? Is it because I wouldn't agree with Danzo's proposal? Uchiha Corps. isn't the biggest company there is, surely there are others he could convince..."
Kurama shook his head. "It's not the Uchiha Empire that Danzo is after, it's the fox clan. Danzo Shimura's true identity is the Head of the Snake Clan. Mei Terumi here is the Lady Head of the Bunny Clan. She's here to offer you her Blessing of Luck and Protection. As I said, there's nothing going on between this woman and me. We're merely fighting on the same side of this war."
As understanding settled, Itachi trembled. "It's me... I'm the weakest link that they're trying to use against all of you..."
Not wanting his mate to entertain such dark thoughts, Kurama pulled Itachi into his chest and hugged the CEO. "It's not you. They would have done it to anyone they could get their hands on."
Mei agreed. "Besides, it's easier if you are the target because you're a highly prolific figure. We suspect that there is a spy within our ranks too. We just need to give the spy a reason to act before we catch them so I'm here to give you a luck blessing for protection. It'll only be for a few days but we would be able to find out who was giving away your schedule and plotting all the assassination attempts. You might not know this but Kurama hasn't been slacking. Your apartment, your car, your office and all the regular places you go to are full of magic barriers to protect you from danger. Only an insider would be able to pass through them without triggering the defence mechanisms."
Kurama hissed at Mei for revealing too much information. Itachi, on the other hand, didn't know what to feel. He blinked owlishly at the fox hunter who had bright red ears.
Mei laughed at that. It wasn't every day that she saw the high and mighty hunter embarrassed. It was a sight worth the troublesome trip.
"Let's not delay it any longer before your mate decides to make rabbit fur coat of out my hide. I need you to think of someone you have complete faith in and hold onto that feeling while I give my blessing. Note that the blessing's effect is only as strong as your faith in that person."
Itachi nodded and to his surprise, Sasuke's face wasn't the first one to appear in his mind. The comforting warmth of a certain fox demon superseded everything else and Itachi held onto that moment.
Mei Terumi smiled at that warm aura and gave the CEO her blessing. With such affection for each other, the mates would be able to overcome just about anything even without her blessings but she kept quiet. Some things were better left to be discovered.